Thursday, August 17, 2017

Board book: Sleepy Toes

Sleepy Toes. Kelli McNeil. Illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld. 2017. Scholastic. 26 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Are your toes getting sleepy? So very, very sleepy? All day long they wiggle along--wiggly, wobbly toes. And now it's time to get some rest, so tomorrow we can be our best. Is your tummy getting sleepy? So very, very sleepy? All day long it gurgles along--giggly, gurgly tummy. And now it's time to turn off the light. Rest, little tummy, all is right.

Premise/plot: What you should know about this one: a) it is a board book; b) it has a padded cover; c) it is a bedtime book; d) it stars six different children; e) it is a rhyming book.

My thoughts: Do you ever judge a book by its cover? Be honest. I didn't expect to like this one much. It looked dinky to me. I was wrong; I admit it. I did like it. I haven't decided if I "really like it" or if I maybe "love" it. But I'd easily recommend it.

It features six children--a mix of girls and boys. Most are white, I'll be honest. But it looks like one at least has a darker complexion.

The book definitely follows a pattern: Are your/Is your [insert body part] getting sleepy? So very, very sleepy? All day long they/it [fill in the blank with rhyming words]. And now it's time to....[more rhyming words.] Even the illustrations seemed to follow a pattern. Each child either had an actual PET (cat, dog) OR a beloved stuffed animal that "helped" them get ready for bed.

The rhythm of the rhymes worked for me for the most part.

© 2017 Becky Laney of Young Readers

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